


In the Wake of the Night

by lilaflo



Category: Hazbin Hotel (Web Series)
Genre: Alastor is Bad at Feelings (Hazbin Hotel), Can be romantic but it can also be seen as platonic, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Or even something twisted, Pining
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-15
Updated: 2020-05-15
Packaged: 2021-03-02 21:21:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,045
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24203554
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lilaflo/pseuds/lilaflo
Summary: As sinners dwindle away into the realm of sleep, Alastor unexpectedly finds himself comforting Hell's sorrowful princess.
Relationships: Alastor & Charlie Magne, Alastor/Charlie Magne
Comments: 8
Kudos: 142





	In the Wake of the Night

In the darkness of nighttime, where all the other sinners and inhabitants of the hotel had gone to sleep, Alastor would walk around the hotel at his own leisure. As a late night owl and early riser, he would often peruse the hotel out of sheer curiosity, observing the many pictures and paintings of Hell’s royal family.

He had been in the hotel for quite some time now, but he still enjoyed the peace and silence of the night, knowing he wouldn’t be disturbed by Angel Dust’s incessant flirting or Husk’s drunken outbursts. Though the chaos was something to enjoy, once in a while Alastor would feel exasperated by the amount of noise that went on. What with Niffty’s motor mouth and Vaggie’s incredible temper, there was always bound to be conflict. As amused as he was by Vaggie’s fits of rage, her shrill voice was sometimes too much for his ears. With everyone fast asleep, it gave Alastor the privacy and freedom to roam about.

It was a strange way to pass the time, but walking alone in the ever expansive hotel reminded him of his past life, where he would hunt in the great woods and hide at his convenience. Instead of searching for more literal prey, Alastor took it upon himself to search for means of entertainment, which included learning more of Charlie’s life.

From her adorable baby photos to some of the more _annoying_ pictures of her with her ex-boyfriend, he could see how she always had an innocent aura about her.

After traversing the halls of the hotel countless times, he would often find himself entranced by some of her pictures. With Lilith’s seductive charms and Lucifer’s sinister features, Charlie was the unmistakable combination of both. Though she clearly took up more of her father’s looks, Alastor could see some of Lilith’s beauty in Charlie as well.

With the soft tresses of Charlie’s long golden hair, doll shaped face, and soft, doe-like eyes, he could not deny that she was quite the looker. What made her all the more beautiful was the bright smile he had come to adore.

Ah yes, after almost a year of being her companion and generous benefactor, he couldn’t deny that he’d grown a bit of a soft spot for the little princess. As each day passed, he became more inclined to seek out her attention. Their shared love of theater and music made for some great musical numbers, making life much more exciting for the both of them. And unlike many others, Alastor was fine with Charlie getting into his personal space. He still hated being touched, but when it came to Charlie, he actually welcomed her powerful hugs and bubbly shows of affection.

Ironic as it may seem, but Charlie was the snake who had successfully infiltrated the rotten garden he had for a heart.

What were once shows of dominance over Vaggie became genuine attempts to steal Charlie’s attention. Alastor could barely contain his jealousy when he saw the pair together, holding the same possessiveness that he felt when he had learned that Charlie still had photos of her ex-boyfriend around the hotel.

He would have gladly burned them all, if not for his reputation as an esteemed gentleman.

While observing one of Charlie’s many lovely portraits, one of Alastor’s shadows notified him of Charlie’s presence, as it did every night. Although Alastor greatly appreciated the solitude, tonight he was longing for just a bit of company. Who better than the charming demon belle herself?

Taking one last glance of the Magne family portrait, he teleported away through one of his shadows and made his way up the hotel floors to find Charlie.

Retracting himself from the ebony tethers of his shadow, Alastor found himself at the grand balcony entrance. Despite the heat of the constant inferno, the weather was quite cold tonight, with Charlie’s golden hair delicately blowing in the wind’s graces.

Now the sight of Hell’s princess on a balcony wasn’t too much of a surprise to Alastor. In fact, his shadow didn’t really need to alert him at all. After the past year or so that he’s been in the hotel, he took note of how often the princess would walk onto one of the higher balconies and keep to herself. Although Charlie was quite excitable and extroverted, he noticed that she had many solemn moments of isolation. Some nights when Alastor was walking around the hotel, he would spot her from the corner of his eye or view her from a window, watching her take leave without her brilliant smile. On some nights she would be as silent as a butterfly, other nights he would hear the most beautiful yet melancholy tune about bluebirds and rainbows.

At first, Alastor thought nothing of it since he hardly knew the sweet girl, but over their many moments of singing, dancing, and genuinely enjoying her company, he found himself rather curious about her nightly ritual.

While Alastor knew that imposing on a lady’s private time was incredibly rude, he couldn’t help but approach the little darling as she silently brooded over the balcony, eyes gazing towards the rich scarlet of Hell’s sky.

Like a hunter approaching its unassuming prey, he walked towards her with the grace of a deadly spider. Standing right behind her sullen form, he sneakily crept his face near her ear and silently whispered, “What seems to be the problem, my dear?”

It seems that he was too good at being silent because by the time he had approached her, she jumped at the close contact. But instead of keeping a face of surprise, she only seemed to revert back to her glum mood after recognizing him.

“Oh, Alastor. It’s just you.”

Now that wasn’t a satisfying answer.

He had expected more of a warm welcome. And frankly, more attention.

“Why of course it’s me!” he said more boldly. The dramatic flair of his radio host self on full display. “But you didn’t answer my question, doll face. What seems to be the problem?”

Realizing that her response was rather rude, Charlie seemed a bit more flustered and awkwardly chuckled before saying, “It’s nothing too important. I was just thinking over a few things…”

She gave a small, weak smile towards him before glancing up at the sky, her eyes crinkling in what could only be seen as great longing.

Alastor’s eyes grew in curiosity and tilted his head to figure out what exactly she was looking at, only to realize that she was gazing at what could never be.

Heaven.

Despite its size, the sphere of Heaven was impossible to miss. The winglike clouds and yellow halo only seemed to accentuate the gentle countenance of Heaven’s light. Amidst the chaotic fires and looming pentagram in the sky, the little orb was a distinguishable mark of purity in the depraved and wicked atmosphere of Hell.

Charlie gave a weak chuckle and through sad eyes said, “You know, I’ve just been thinking about how silly I am.” She turned her attention back to him and to his surprise, she was crying in her pure demon form. Horns protruded from her head and the sclera of her eyes had turned red, with pale irises replacing the doe black eyes he had come to admire.

“I want to save my people from dying by sending them up to Heaven…” She gripped the railing desperately and leaned her head back to let the tears drip as she went back to taking in Heaven’s image. “But maybe it’s just my selfish wish to go up there myself.”

Then at a pin’s drop she started panicking, violently turning towards Alastor, her right hand delicately clutched to her chest. “And even if my project works!” Her arms flailed about, sheer fear apparent in her eyes. “That just means I’ll end up here all alone,” she heartbrokenly mumbled.

Alastor remained silent, listening to her intimate despair. Normally he’d be reveling in such a pathetic display of weakness, but something within had told him to keep quiet and patiently hear what she had to say.

She hung her head low, tears still flowing down to the balcony floor, and shakily muttered, “I know you don’t believe in my cause, Alastor. She started sniffling. “And I know you just want to see me fail. But have you really never thought of being in some place better?”

A pause.

Face still fixed on the ground, she was waiting for him to throw back what she said to her face and crush whatever remaining dignity she had left. After all, he was only helping her for his sick entertainment. But instead of hearing his condescending laughter or the muffled cackles of a radio dial, Charlie heard nothing but eerie silence. After a few more seconds, she became alarmed and turned to look if he had just left altogether, only to find him still standing there, looming proudly as ever.

What she wasn’t expecting was the softness in his voice that followed.

“I’m afraid I haven’t, my dear.”

Surprised by his genuine reply, Charlie found her curiosity piqued with interest and fully positioned her torso towards his, hands clutched together against her chest. Alastor made a few nimble steps towards her and closed the remaining gap between them, his gaze still transfixed to her face. Gently, he used his lithe fingers to hold her face and relaxed his hand muscles against her rosy cheeks. His thumbs tenderly wiped away the remaining tears and his blood red pupils peered intimately into her own.

“I’ve always known that I would end up here. From the first day I drew blood from one of God’s creatures, I knew my fate was sealed.”

As he said this, a smile was still ever-so present on his face. But compared to his trademark sadistic smirks and smug grins, the smile he was displaying before her seemed… so sad. He was saying this as a matter of fact. Like he had no choice in the matter. He didn’t seem upset either. How could he look so calm about something so serious?

His lidded eyes were wistful, yet honest and secure. They showed signs of a deeper, more confusing pain. Something Charlie couldn’t seem to comprehend. He seemed proud to admit this to her. Yet, there was that instinctual feeling that maybe he felt slight regret? Guilt? Resignation?

Whatever it was, Charlie did not know. Like the man himself, Alastor’s answer was too cryptic to truly understand.

She noticed the lack of radio static in his voice and the atmosphere, hearing nothing but the slight tremors of his heart under her hand, as well as her own. There was no flashy show or hint of sarcasm. Hell, even his microphone was nowhere in sight. There was only the clarity of his voice and the sincerity of his eyes.

Through their shared gaze, Charlie felt as though she was gazing into the eyes of the man he was before.

They were positioned quite intimately. One of her hands had fallen to the side while the other was still placed near his heart, eyes filled with curiosity the longer he bore his eyes into hers. As for him, one of his hands returned to his back while the other one continued crutching her rosy cheek, grazing lightly at her pale skin.

He hushed, “I’m here as punishment for all my sins. The same might not apply to you.” Just then, he removed all semblance of himself from her and took a step back.

But not without leaving a lingering touch on her cheek.

With how gracefully he moved away, she was left with the shadow of his warm, gloved fingers and his small heartbeat.

After the space between them was re-established, Alastor’s disposition seemed to revert back to normal. His arms were formally crossed behind his back and he displayed a bright smile. As if nothing had even happened.

It took a second for her to compose herself as she grew more flustered at their previous closeness. She twirled her hair nervously and looked to the ground, embarrassed.

The silence had returned and neither of them seemed to know what to do afterwards. How does one detract themselves from an intimate engagement without making things awkward?

Before either of them could move an inch, she quipped, “Would you miss me?”

She looked up to him with wide eyes. The horns she had disappeared and her standard black eyes replaced her demonic ones. With her fluttery lashes and large pupils, she had gone back to looking like a sweet doe for the taking.

With the arch of his eyebrow, Alastor asked, “Pardon me?” His feet were glued to the ground and he lowered his face towards her when he asked for clarification.

“I- I mean would you miss me? If I went to Heaven, I mean?” Nervous and embarrassed by her stutters, she awkwardly tried to look reserved.

Alastor’s toothy smile adorned his face once again and he recomposed his tower-like stance, before slightly tilting his head. “I think it’s best if you sleep off your troubles, my sweet. These thoughts won’t do you any good at this time of day.”

Charlie felt a pang of disappointment at his response. Her hand had twitched in anticipation and her eyebrows shot down in dismay. She was flattered by his concern, but she couldn’t help but long for a more satisfying answer. It was just like Alastor to be indirect with his answers. But they’ve known each other for almost a year now! Was it so bad to assume that he would have at least thought of her as a friend by now? Or maybe as something more?

She fixed her eyes towards the ground in defeat for a brief moment before eventually looking right back up at him.

Clutching her right hand towards her heart, Charlie gave a small, but genuine smile.

She took small steps towards him and slowly placed her left hand on his cheek, just like he had done to her a few moments ago.

Alastor was surprised by the sudden contact, but found that he did not hate it one bit.

“Well, even though I’ll never reach Heaven,” she whispered. “I’ll sure miss you when you do.”

And with that, she went on her tiptoes and gave a chaste kiss to his cheek.

Charlie gingerly set herself back on her feet and hurriedly skipped towards the balcony entrance, a bit flustered by her physical boldness. Before taking an official leave she gave a large grin and waved goodbye. “Good night, Alastor.”

He was no longer within sight as she was leaving the balcony, but she could still hear him when he wished her good night.

Alastor could only stand on the balcony, waiting patiently for all signs of movement and noise to calm down. When his shadow alerted him that Charlie was in the safety of her room, Alastor looked down at Pentagram City’s landscape, left to reflect on what had just occurred.

 _Heaven, huh_. Alastor chuckled to himself. Her naive belief that he could make it up there was so adorable! How unfortunate for her that it would never come true. One could not simply redeem a lifetime of transgressions. He was the worst mortal soul in all of Hell and he was quite proud of that. There was no undoing for what’s been done.

He also knew full well that even if he were given a second chance up there on Earth, he would still succumb to his predator instincts and mercilessly slaughter those in his wake, all for the sake of satisfying his boredom. And above all, he would do so with his trademark smile.

Although it was laughable to think he could be redeemed, Alastor could not deny that her confession of missing him made his heart race in flattery.

_You can’t redeem me, my dear._

Indeed, Charlie would never have to be afraid of being left alone. Even if everyone else left, he would always be there, damned for all eternity. In fact, maybe it would be better if everyone else did leave. Then they could spend their time breaking into the most wondrous songs and dances.

However, in the deep recesses of his soul, under the inky tar pits of carnivorous depravity, his heart clenched at the thought of being separated from Charlie. The fact remained that she was the daughter of Lucifer, the King of all Sinners and the traitorous angel to God’s kingdom. Her chances to go up there were completely out of the question.

It was tragic, really. She didn’t really _deserve_ to be here. After all, she was never given a chance.

Unlike most of the people here, Charlie was never human. She would never understand what it meant to cross moral lines as a mortal soul. Or understand what drove people to wretch into the boundaries of sin and wickedness. From the moment she was born, she was cursed to rot in this eternal cesspool, like every other sinner under the sky.

But if there was ever a chance that God changed his mind, then Charlie would be the first- and probably only- person to leave Hell. With her angelic personality and virtuous heart, one could not deny that she was the one most deserving of salvation. Even though it seemed ludicrous, maybe God would take pity on her poor soul and reclaim her. Mark her as another sweet creature of Heaven.

Then he would lose her forever.

How utterly preposterous! To think he, _**The Radio Demon**_ , would even care about that happening! How could he even begin to fret over something so stupidly impossible.

And yet…

Alastor retracted his gaze from the city, looking up towards the garishly white sphere. His radio static grew more rampant as his emotions became more turbulent. Would there come a time where he would replace Charlie in her nightly ritual? Would he also gaze out into the night sky and reach out towards Heaven, trying to hold any semblance of Charlie in his grasp?

Raising a slender hand towards the cheek that Charlie kissed, he thought long and hard about that possibility.

Alastor found himself hoping that day would never come.


End file.
